Device for sprouting seeds



W. BOSS) DEVICE FOR- SPROU-TING SEEDS. APPLICATION rum-sin. 30. 1918.

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Patented my 3, 1921,

W. BOSS.

DEVICE FOR SPROUIING SEEDS. Y APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1918.

1,376,998. I 1 Patented M313, 1921.

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a I/II/I/III/IIII/mW IIIIIIIl/I/l/IA [770 171024- MZ/r'am Boss UNIT WILLIAM BOSS, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

DEVIGE FOR SPRO'U'TING SEEDS.

, Application filed September To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Boss, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Sprouting Seeds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for sprouting seeds and particularly to a device in which the seeds may be sprouted by the combined action of heat and moisture to test the percentage which will germinate. {in object of my invention is to provide a device in which the seeds may be subjected to the proper degree of heat without the liability of injuring them by excessive heat. A further object is to provide a device of this.

kind which will possess the maximum efficiency and require a minimum amount of attention.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detailed description thereof and are particularly pointed out in the claims. 7

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the application of my invention in one form,- I

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing one door open and one door closed. Fig. 2 is a top plan view with the left hand portion broken away to show the interior construction. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is a view in section of the lower portion of the device. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of a portion of the door. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail showing the manner of securing together the walls of the water jacket.

Referring to the particular construction shown in the drawings I provide a sheet metal oven which constitutes a germinating chamber, the base 12 of which is riveted thereto and is adapted to rest upon any suitable support, such as the stand 14. The walls of the oven comprise inner and outer walls 16 and 18 separated from each other by means of a series of indentations 20 in the outer wall. These indentations contact with the inner wall and are secured thereto by rivets 22. The spaced walls constitute a water jacket which extends around all sides of the oven except the front. The water jacket space is connected by a pipe 24 extending in an inclined direction from sub- Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented May 3, 1921.

so, 1918. Serial no. 256,191.

stantially the center of the bottom to the front of the top portion of the water jacket, I i

as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The front side of the oveninay be composed of either a single door or duplex doors. In the embodiment shown doubledoors are provided which are hinged at 26-. upon the outside of the oven while a central strip 28' extends between the top and bottom of the oven, thus separating the space intended to be closed into, two equal parts. Two offset lugs 30 are attached to the outside of this strip and these lugs are adapted to engage latch bars pivoted to the doors. As shown, each door is provided with two latch bars connected by a rod 34 so that the two latch bars work together. Thelatch bar engages slightly less than onehalf the width of the lugs 30 so that the latch bars on both doors may be en'gagedby the lugs. The doors are hollow and are composed of an outer wall 36 and an inner wall 38, and these walls may be secured together by means of indentations 20 and rivets 22 in the manner previously described. The periphery of ,theinner wall of the door is bent inwardly at 40 and upwardly at 42 by rivets or bolts 48.. Extending vertically within each of the two rear corners of the oven and secured in any suitable manner is an angular member having the two strip portions '50 and 52 at rightangles to each other. Extending vertically in the middle rear portion of the oven isan angular member having the central strip portion 54 and tworight angular portions 56. The strips 50 and 54 are provided with series of holes 58, the strip 54 being provided with two of these series. These holes serve to support the rear ends of the shelf brackets 60. These brackets are bentinto right angular shape, as shown in Fig. 1 and the horizontal portions are cut slightly shorter than the vertical portions so that the latter extend into the openings 58, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. Extending vertically within the front corners of the oven arestrips 62 and the strip 28 previously referred to is bent vertical portions are somewhat longer than the horizontal portions and are bent so as to extend'through the series of holes in the strips 62 and 64C and are then bent backwardly as shown at 66 to secure the brackets in place. plurality of shelves which may be slid into the oven along the brackets. The shelves preferably consist of a frame 68 surround ing a perforated portion 70 which may conveniently consist of a wire screen. The top of the oven is provided with one or more receptacles 72 in the bottom of which is an opening 74 leading into the water jacket contained between the walls 16 and lSQ These receptacles serve for filling the water jacket and also act in the manner of expansion tanks, the water being introduced into these receptacles until the Water jacket is filled and the receptacles are at least partly filled. The bottom of the jacket is provided with a faucet 76 by which the acket may be emptied. Outer wall 18 of the water acket at its bottom is depressed along its middle longitudinal portion, as shown at 78 in order to provide suflicient space for a tube 80 containing a resistance element 82 of well known construction which serves to heat the water in the jacket. leads from a point adjacent this heater to thetop of the jacket and insures circulation of the water as it is heated. A cable 84: containing two wires 86 and 88 is connected with any source of electrical energy (not shown). The wires extend through a piece of insulating material 90 attached to the lower end of a side wall in any suitabie manner by means of a box or bracket 92 and from this box a conduit 94 extends up to a heatregulator 96 having a thermostat 97. The wire 86 extends through this conduit to the heat regulator which in turn is connected by a wire 98 with the resistance element. The wire 88 connects directly with the resistance element. In order that the temperature of the oven may be ascertained a thermometer 100 extends from the inside of the oven to the outside thereof where it may be readily observed. The inner bottom wall ofthe oven is adapted to receive a small amount of water, the level of which 'is indicated at X inFig. 3. A number of perforations l02 in the wall of the oven underneath the doors serve to admit air to the germinating chamber. A faucet 10 1 serves to draw off the water in the bottom of the oven when desired. v

The operation and advantages of my invention will be obvious from the foregoing description. Various kinds of seeds which The brackets serve to support a The pipe 24;

it is desired to sprout are placed upon moistened blotting paper or cloths laid upon the wire screen shelves which are then slid into the oven. The Water jacket being filled and a small amount of water having been placed in the bottom of the oven, the doors are closed and a current is turned on. The combined action of heat and moisture in the oven will act very efficiently to cause sprouting of the seeds which are kept in the oven until the sprouting has progressed sufficiently todetermine the percentage which will germinate. The use of the wire screen shelves permits moisture to thoroughly per meate the seeds. The temperature is controlled automatically by the thermostat operating an electric relay which turns on and off the current to the heating element.

1 claim: v

1. A device for sprouting seeds comprising a germinating chamber having a Water jacket extending around all of the sides thereof except the front, ahollow door for said front, an electrical heater located between the walls of the water jacket at the bottom of the chamber, a pipe extending from a point adjacent said heater to the front of the top portion of the water'jacke't, and perforated shelves upon which seeds are adapted to be placed for insertion into and removal from the chamber.

2. A device for sprouting seeds comprising a germinating chamber having a water jacket, the bottom of said chamber being' also adapted tocontain water, an electrical heater located between the walls of the water jacket at the bottom of the chamber, a pipe extending from a point adjacent said heater to the front of the top portion of the water jacket, a heat regulator for said heater, a thermometer associated with said chamber, a closure for said chamber, and wire screen shelves upon which seeds are adapted to be placed for insertion into and removal from the chamber.

A device for sprouting seeds comprising a germinating chamber having a water jacket, a receptacle connected with the top of said water jacket, said receptacle being adapted to serve both for filling the water WILLIAM BOSS. 

